Each year the holiday season can represent both the most fulfilling and the most stressful time of the year for each of us. We get the chance to reconnect with family and friends over fabulous food and gifts whilst in our pajamas not thinking twice about schoolwork or work in general. At the same time however, we accumulate a pile of bills, our schedules are chaotically filled with everything from mandatory family gatherings at your "favorite" Aunts' house to high school reunions at that one bar you snuck into when you were 16. Not to mention that our scale bumps up a few fluffy lbs. {to account for the cold weather, obviously}. It's all just one holiday after the last; you go from turkeys to ugly sweaters to anything covered in sequins, all in a span of 3 months. Is that necessary? Should you scarf down that last piece of pumpkin pie? Is an extra $300 for a New Years Eve dress truly high-priority when it will only sit lifeless in the back of your closet next month? I sift through these questions in my mind each and every year so I figure that most of you face similiar dilemmas as well. So, I've created a standard holiday guide for myself this year, based on previous experiences, to ensure that the following two months are as enjoyable and stress-free as possible:

1. Be PresentNot only are you getting older each year that the holidays roll around but your family members and your friends are as well. It's easy for our generation to distract ourselves with trending stories, photos, games on our phones, etc. when it seems that nothing is "entertaining" us at that particular moment. If nothing else, the one thing I want to walk away from this holiday season with is the knowledge that I spent more time interacting with my loved ones than with my smartphone. Even though you might be spending hours upon hours with the same people, it is all quality time that you can't get back later. Watch an old Christmas movie, have a face-to-face conversation with your grandmother, play a board game {I highly recommend "Catch Phrase"}. It's easy to become caught up in taking photos all night of everyone enjoying themselves but are you really having fun or are you simply experiencing the event through the lens of your Iphone? As I've felt before, at the end of the night you not only feel empty and bored by doing this but you also feel that you missed the actual experience of that particular event. Bottom line: put down the phone.

2. Dress Appropriately for the OccasionThis is especially true if you are spending the holidays with your partner's parents for the first time. I'm almost positive that Sam's family thought that I was a nun at the end of our first holiday season together. I wore thick black turtlenecks for the first few months because when he used the word "conservative" to describe them to me a loud siren alerted my wardrobe as well. When attending a partner's family function or a holiday work event, my experience has been that it is always better to overdress for the occasion than to underdress. Truly, you'd rather people think you were a wee bit too fancy than to think that you dressed like a slob. On the other hand, if you're spending the weekend at your parents or with your friends, usually a holiday sweater and a comfy pair of jeans should do the trick.

3. BudgetAlthough big holidays have been so commercialized in the recent years, they are not about gift-giving or receiving. The fundamentals and the purpose of these events are to cherish your family and friends and to spend time alongside each other eating good food and enjoying the company. Don't stress yourself out during the holidays spending your entire paycheck for three months straight or putting yourself in debt until next year in order to give your family and friends things that, to be perfectly honest, they probably didn't need anyway. Knowing and keeping track of your budget is key during the holiday season. Be reasonable about how you are spending your money and which events you choose to attend {know how to say "no"} in order to keep it as realistic as possible.

4. Remain BalancedDon't use the holidays as an excuse to gain an extra 5 lbs. of fluff unless you are going to be okay with it by the end of January. I enjoy a slice {or two} of pumpkin pie as much as the next girl during the holiday season but that also means that I'm prepared to go to my yoga class the next morning and fill up on some spinach before the following group outing. By no means should you restrict yourself from a fancy holiday feast but, at least plan ahead so that it doesn't turn into a "special occasion feast" every night for the next 3 months. Take a walk with your sibling, grab a green smoothie, and just balance it all out. Read: How to bounce back during the holidays - Tone It Up

5. Be a Responsible Role ModelI'm assuming that if you are spending the holidays with your family, there will be children around because that's the way it is in our household. Whether you realize it or not, they look up to you and are carefully watching your every move, good or bad. It is not your opportunity to get hammered and go for the car keys with your little cousins watching {or at all for that matter}. This also goes back to number 1; if you think our generation is attached to our phones, you should see the statistics of the generation below us. Show them that, in fact, it is not cool to be on your phone scrolling through what's "trending" on Twitter and ignoring Grandma's funny jokes. You should behave as a role model all the time, but especially throughout the cheerful holiday season, so that they get a sense of what is appropriate behavior during the holidays {and in general}.

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